Gage for tanks.



PATENTED MAR. 1

' G. E. MUSGROVB.

GAGE FOR TANKS. 'A APPLICATION FILED sErT.17.19Qe.

/n Veriton Gorge 77ugr-ove lio Unire STAY-Tes PATENT fl GEORGE E.MUSGROVE, OF WILKIN SBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK. l

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ELECTRIC GAGE Fon TANKS.

` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 1o, 19,08.

Application filed September 17, 1906, Serial No. 334,895.

This invention relates to gages for indicate ing the level of liquid ina tank. It is espe'- cially designed for use on a transformer oil tank,but 1s applicable to any rece tacle in which it is desirable to maintaint e liquid contents at a iven level, In an oil-cooled transformer, tieloss of oil is not readily detected, because the top of the tank isclosed. It is, however, essential to the safe working of the transformerthat the level of the oil shall not fall low enough to expose thewindings. Ordinary' glass gage-tubes have been attached to transformertanks, but itis difficult 'to make an'oil-tight joint at the pointswhenthe gage-tube fittings pass throughthe wall of thetank. 'In order toavoid this trouble, the present inventionl utilizes the princi le' of-the Siphon, and consists of a gage-tu e connected at its lowerv -endwith an inverted U-shaped tube which straddles the upper edge of thetank and is filled with` oil. The lower end of the leg inside the tankis turned upwardly to prevent all the oil in the-device from escapingfrom the gage in case the tank is emptied.

When the oi in the tank rises above the uptnrned end of the inner leg, acertain amount of oil flows from the inner leg to the outer, and the.oil inthe gagel tube rises to the same height as that in the tank, sothat any variation of level in the :tank is accurately indicated in thetube.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of atransformer tank equipped with my improved gage, and Fig. 2 is asectional elevation of the gage, on a larger-scale.

The tank 1 is of the usual construction:

the coils ofthe transformer being shown ,at v2.

'lhe normal level of theoil is at aboutthe line 8. The glass gage tube 4is incased in a metal sleeve 5, cut away to expose the tube and screwedinto a coupling 6 at its lower end. A'screw plug 7 is tapped intov theup er end of the sleeve and clamps the gagetu e cndwisegsuitable paekin8 being interposed between the ends o said tube is drilled through saidplug. A siphon tube in the form of an inverted U connects the gage-tubewith the tank. Both legs' of thel U are preferably of the same length,and the 4lower end of one leg 1() communicates with the coupling 6,while the lowerend otthe other leg 11 is turned up in a loop shortdistance. i

In or near the up er edge of thetank 1'v above the level of t e liquidis a notch or openin the sip on, so that the leg 10- and the gagetube 4hang loutside the tank, while the'leg 11 depends into the tank. Thesiphontube is filled with liquid, so that the rise and fall of theliquid in the tank causes a similar and the coupling and Iplug'. A venthole 9 through which passes the b ight of.

variation in the columnof liquid in the ga etube, which thus indicatesat all times t e height of the contents of the tank. The gage-tube kandthe Siphon tube are long enough to extend a suitable distance above--and below the normal level of the liquid in the tank, so that saidliquid can fall below the safet line` before it reaches the lower4 limitof t e gage-tube. This limit is deter? mined by the upturned end oftheinnerleg of the, si` hon. When the tank is emptied, a the lliqui in thega e-tube will drop tothe level of the upturne end of the loop 12, butno farther, so that the gage is' always in condition to operate when thetank is filled again. ,If t willV automatically empty itself when theliquid inthe tank falls below the end of the inner be used.

e loop 12 is omitted, the device' leg 11 and must be refilled before itcan l In the drawing,l thegage-tube is shown 4' extending u permissiblevariations of level, while the siphon must be high'enough to be at alltimes above the highest ossible level, and thus, it preferably stradd esthe upper edge of the tank. y f

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is,- 1. The combination with a tank, of an in verted U-shapedtube having one leg inside of said tank and the other leg outside, and ao'age-tube communicating with said outside eg said inverted U-shrapedtubebeing iilledj with liquid.

2. 'lhe coml lation with ajtank, of'uan as highas. the big'ht of thesiphOn, but t is is not essential, as the ga etube need be only longenough` to show-t eA i inverted U-shaped tube havin one legy i11- Sideotsaid tenir and the other eg oustide, a Gage-tithe communicating Withsaid outsile 'gljegf arid an upturned loop at the end of the 5 insideleg.'

3. The combination With a tank for liquid,

of u. gage-tuhe outside the tank, and a tube eomnmnieating with the gae-tube at one engl land depending into sai liquid at the

